In this week’s article of our Rediscovering Ayurveda series, we interviewed Rajat Thakur.
Rajat is a professional Yoga Instructor who takes pride in helping others get closer to their roots. Hailing from the Vashisht village of Kullu district, he is a prodigy known for his selflessness and generosity.
When was the last time you experienced a desperate desire to switch your career path to something more personal, something more meaningful to you? And did you actually do it? Well, to leave one’s stable job and to choose an unconventional pathway surely sounds exciting but very few people actually choose to do it and find joy and success in it. Rajat Thakur is one such courageous being who decided to opt the eccentric life of a Yoga Practitioner and get closer to his roots.
To recall a few reasons why Yoga fascinated him, he tells us how seeing his mother practice Yoga every day – no matter the day or the season, really inspired him from within. The fact that his hometown also happens to be the holy place where Sage Vashishtha meditated for years and left behind the most vital Yogic texts for mankind called the ‘Yoga Vashishtha’ has also left him in awe of the philosophy.
“I guess if we grow up in this kind of serene and organic environment, the energy just flows into our bodies naturally.”
However, what started as a physical practice soon made Rajat realize how the human body works as an instrument to not just explore the outdoors but also something within, something divine. He says, “As I incorporated this practice into my lifestyle, I gradually began to witness the unfolding of unparalleled potential in my body as well as my mind.”
In fact, before taking up Yoga professionally, he worked as a Mountain Guide and full-time Climber in the Himalayas. It was at that time when Rajat started giving Asana and Pranayama lessons to people who had difficulty in acclimatizing to the high altitude in expeditions. Even though the classes were never part of the itinerary, Rajat began to find immense joy in helping others. This joy and sense of personal satisfaction led him to take Yoga more seriously.
“I realized practicing with my peers and helping them with Asanas made me feel stronger and more focused and I performed better at leading the groups & accomplishing new heights. It was then I had a clear vision to practice and share this divine knowledge for the rest of my life.”
An early riser, Rajat strongly believes that a true practitioner is one who practices on a regular basis and incorporates a robust degree of self-discipline. He makes sure to practice Pranayamas, Asanas, and Meditation for at least 90 minutes every day and eats only enough to fill half of his stomach.
It is a well-known fact that both Yoga & Ayurveda are ancient life disciplines practiced by our ancestors for centuries. Rajat believes while Yoga is the science of union with the divine, Ayurveda is the science of life. He opines, “Without a healthy physical life, one cannot experience what is beyond the physical and the tangible”, and we agree as both Yoga and Ayurveda are extremely versatile and interrelated in many ways.
Humans are made of Panchadhatu – the five elements of air, water, earth, space, and fire. These elements manifest in us in three categories of Tridosha called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha which are basically our entire constitution. Each one of us dominated by one or two of the doshas which are responsible for deciding our behaviour, physical features and even the ailment we are exposed to. Rajat adds, “We put our wellbeing and health at serious risk when the doshas get imbalanced due to the consumption of the wrong foods that do not support our physical constitution.”
The same happens with Yoga. It is important to keep Desh, Kalpa, and Paristhiti (place, time and situation) in mind before practicing Yoga. For instance, certain Pranayamas are meant to increase your blood pressure and heat you like Bhastrika and Suriyabhedi and there are some that cool your system down like Chandrabhedi and Shitali.
“Knowing your body type and situation that you are surrounded by must always be considered before practicing both Yoga and Ayurveda. When one becomes aware of these factors and then practices Yoga, life simply becomes magnificent!”
Rajat feels that just as we earn money, health is also to be earned. To invest in our Sadhana (practice) should be our foremost commitment because only when we give to ourselves can we give back to the world, he concludes.
Being a big fan of body oils, Rajat would love to try the Ashtagandha Body Lotion from our list of Amrutam products!
Rajat's work can be found on his YouTube channel
We are proud to have Rajat in our #AmrutamFamily!
